MST3K 514 - Teen-Age Strangler
The Short Is This Love? Synopsis A girl goes against the advice of her parents and her roommate and runs away with her boyfriend. The short asks the question of whether their love has the necessary elements to last long or not. Information *This short was included on Shorts, Volume 3, released by Rhino Entertainment on VHS in January 2001, and on DVD in August 2004 as an limited time exclusive bonus for ordering MST3K: The Essentials from a specially created Rhino site (later re-released fully by Shout! Factory on The Singles Collection. The Movie Synopsis A serial killer has been targeting teenage girls in a small town, strangling his victims with pantyhose and drawing an "X" in lipstick on their foreheads. Lieutenant Anderson (Bill Bloom) is frustrated by the crimes, and thinks that modern parents have become too lax with their curfews. Local hot-rod gang the Fast Backs find themselves prime suspects, since an eyewitness says she might have seen their insignia, a bulldog, on the killer's back. Their only alibi is an illegal drag strip race (they're the number one group in the state), except for Jimmy (John Ensign), who is carrying on a forbidden romance with Betty (Jo Canterbury), and can't answer for his whereabouts. Tensions with fellow gang member Curly cause Jimmy to throw his Fast Backs jacket away, and a wild fistfight leads to a challenge to drag. When another body is found, the clues suddenly point to Curly, but a high speed chase and a terrible accident only complicate matters further. So who is the killer? Is it the creepy janitor? Is it the dweebish kid brother? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059786/ Information * The episode revitalized interest in the film so much so that it was given a premiere showing in Huntington, West Virginia (where it was filmed) in 1994. * This movie was re-released in black & white in 1990. * John Humphries (Mikey) had never acted before doing this film. He has since said that he took his acting cues from Jo Canterbury, whom he knew had some acting experience off-Broadway. So, as her performance became more teary and shrill, so did his.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059786/ * According to Humphries, most of the cast and crew of this film were friends or relatives of director Ben Parker. * John Humphries appeared at the first MST3K ConventioCon in September, 1994. The Episode Host Segments Prologue: Mike tries to phone his grandma for help. He runs into problems with calling long distance from space and answering machines. Segment One (Invention Exchange): In Deep 13, the Frank-N-Forcer keeps Frank out of Dr. F’s way. On the SOL, the Waiter-Baiter attracts waiters so you don’t have to. Segment Two: Mike and the Bots read some e.e. cummings poetry and ponder the question, "What is love?" Crow wants to hear more about "hot love". The gang ends up pondering the nature of love, mostly in terms of famous celebrities. Segment Three: Crow of the Crow-Magnons and Tom of the Hovermothers want to rumble gangland style, but Mike intervenes by "rapping" with the Bots. Segment Four: Crow and Tom have a gadget attached to a pair of giant glasses that will make Mike act like Mikey from the movie. Mike wises up eventually, and takes revenge on Crow. Segment Five: As the Bots go on Thanksgiving Break, lonely custodian Mike sings "I’m a Janitor". Back in Deep 13, Dr. F uses sawdust to clean up after Frank when he bounces along to the song. Stinger: "And he didn’t steal no bike neither... I did!" Trivia * Mary Jo Pehl is the voice of Mike's grandma. * RiffTrax would later riff “How Much Affection?” which is plugged in the short’s closing credits. * This episode aired sixteenth and last during Turkey Day '93. Callbacks * "Watch out for snakes!" (Eegah) * "Timothy Van Patten's favorite hang-out!" - (Master Ninja I, Master Ninja II) * “Cornjob!” (Gamera vs Guiron). * “The Master wants you but he can’t have you.” ("Manos" The Hands of Fate) * “You can flip any chick in the house.” (The Brain That Wouldn’t Die) * “Mr. B Natural is in one of those lockers!” * "Suddenly it's Daddy-O!" (Daddy-O) * "It's Junior Car Rodeos with Ol' Timer Billy Slater!" (The Killer Shrews) * "Looks like he took dance lessons from Arch Hall Jr.!" "Of Eegah fame!" "Shtemlo!" Obscure References * (On seeing a sign for "Women's Residence) "Well, except for Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari." Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari starred in the sitcom Bosom Buddies as a couple of guys who pose as women so they can live in a women-only hotel. * "What about Emilio and Paula? Is she "Forever His Girl" or is he just a "Cold-Hearted Snake?" Actor Emilio Estevez did marry singer Paula Abdul in 1992; but their love ended about two years later. Both Forever Your Girl and Cold Hearted Crow mentioned are songs recorded by Paula Abdul. * "And then you became a "Pillar of Salt"...What!?" Referring to The Story of Lot's Wife from the Book of Genesis in which Lot and his family flee from the City of Sodom to avoid its destruction. They were advised by the angels escorting them not to look back but Lot's wife did anyway. As a result, she "became a Pillar of Salt." * "Ah, lunch at the Russian Tea Room!" The Russian Tea Room is a prestigious New York City restaurant. *''"Dead Kennedys!"'' The Dead Kennedys were an American punk band fronted by Jello Biafra. *''"Even Charles Whitman at age nine gets down!"'' In 1966, Charles Whitman climbed to the top of a bell tower at the University of Texas in Austin and began shooting random bystanders on the ground. *''"Doin' da butt!"'' A reference to "Da Butt", a 1988 song by Experience Unlimited that was featured in the Spike Lee movie School Daze. *''"Bored Straight!"'' A play on Scared Straight!, a 1978 television documentary in which a group of juvenile delinquents were led on a tour of a New Jersey prison to demonstrate the ultimate consequences of criminal behavior. *''"Watchtower!"'' A reference to The Watchtower, a magazine published by the Jehovah's Witnesses. *''"Oh, it's Andrew Dice Clay!"'' Andrew Dice Clay was a popular comedian during the early 1990s. He was known for his vulgar, chauvinistic on-stage persona and costume, a throwback to the "greaser" look of the 1950s which consisted a black leather jacket and dark, slicked-back hair. *''"Free Huey!"'' A reference to Black Panther co-founder Huey Newton, who was accused of murder in two separate cases in 1967 and 1974. *''"Jonathan Silverman!"'' Jonathan Silverman is an American actor best known for his lead roles in the film Brighton Beach Memoirs and the TV series "Gimme a Break" and "The Single Guy". He has dark hair and a prominent nose. *''"Looks like Operation Rescue!"'' Operation Rescue is a radical anti-abortion group. *''"k.d. lang is in their group!"'' k.d. lang is a Canadian singer. She had short dark hair and was openly gay at a time when there was a stronger social stigma about homosexuality. *''"Next time on 'Sweating Bullets'! Crimetime After Primetime."'' During the early 1990s, CBS broadcast a series of late-night crime drama series (including Sweating Bullets) under the name Crimetime After Primetime. *''"They killed Vivian Vance!"'' Actress Vivian Vance was best known for playing Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy. *''"Cornjob!"'' "Cornjob" was Joel and the 'Bots' nickname for a character in Gamera vs Guiron. *''"It's the Battle of the Network Sedans."'' Battle of the Network Stars was a series of television specials from the 1970s and '80s that pitted TV stars from the three major networks against each other in a series of athletic competitions. *''"You could learn a lot from a dummy."'' During the 1990s, a series of public-service announcements promoting the use of seat belts featured the comical misadventures of a pair of living crash-test dummies, and used the slogan "You could learn a lot from a dummy." *''"He asked me! He asked me!"'' A quote from Monty Python's Cosmetic Surgery Sketch. *''"Jew? I specifically heard him say Jew."'' A quote from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686/ Annie Hall], in which Woody Allen's character reacts with paranoia about perceived anti-Semitism. *''"Clang clang clang went the trolley."'' Lyrics from "The Trolly Song" featured in the musical [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0odXnKhKBxQ Meet Me in St Louis], used here because the soundtrack is similar to the trolley theme from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. *''"You're not fully dead unless you're Zest-fully dead!"'' Reference to a series of Zest soap commercials prominently featuring showerers and the slogan "You're not fully clean unless your Zest-fully clean!". Memorable Quotes Is This Love? (short) : the title card : Servo: Is this love, or is it just rough sex with Michael Douglas? : the college dorm room : Servo: So... Where's Waldo? : Mike: He's under the bed. : see Liz, an oddly mature woman, brushing her hair before bed. : Crow: Geez! How many times was she held back? : Servo: Heh heh heh. : Liz: Hi, Peg! : the mirror, we see college girl Peg toss her books on her bed. : Mike Peg: Hi, Mom. : Peg: I think I'll send a telegram instead. : Liz: Don't be silly, Peg! You always talk as if your mother were an… ogre, or something. : Mike Liz: Well, I've known her for fifty years… : Liz: Honestly, Peg — I don't know how many times, ever since we were in high school together, I've heard you go on the same way about some man or other. : Peg: Oh, but this is different, Liz! Really it is! : Mike Peg: He's anatomically correct, and everything! : Peg: It's the real thing. : Liz: I remember when I first felt that way about Andy. : Servo Liz: ...at the turn of the century. : short is ending. : Narrator: How would you answer this question for Liz and Andrew? Peggy and Joey? : Servo: Bob and Carol? Ted and Alice? : Narrator: How can you tell? Is this love? : Crow: You have ten minutes to answer the question starting now. : imitates a clock ticking. : Mike: And, now stay tuned for the Clarance Thomas-Anita Hill hearing. : Crow: No animals were hurt during the filming of this movie. : list of related film titles scrolls on the screen. : Servo: "How Much Affection?" : Crow: "When Should I Marry?" : and the bots continue with fake titles. : Mike: "Know Your Ointments" : Servo: "What's That Down There?" : Crow: "When He Wants It Rough" : Mike: "Procreation, Not Recreation" : Servo: "Oh No, Pleasure!" : Crow: "McClintock!" Teen-Age Strangler (movie) : a girl is strangled : Crow: Splendor in the Grass 2: Dream Warrior! Video Release * Commercially released on DVD by Rhino Entertainment August 2006 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Volume 10, a 4-DVD set with Godzilla vs. Megalon, Swamp Diamonds and The Giant Spider Invasion. Collection 10 was discontinued shortly after release, due to rumored rights issues with Godzilla vs. Megalon. **Re-released on DVD in February, 2008 in The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Volume 10.2, which replaced Godzilla vs. Megalon with The Giant Gila Monster. ***The set was re-re-released in March 2019 by Shout! Factory. *This DVD features an Outtakes section, about 15 minutes taken from the Poopie! II tape. References Category:MST3K Episodes Category:Episodes with shorts Category:Season 5 Category:Teen Exploitation Category:Unrated movies Category:Episodes directed by Kevin Murphy Category:Crime movies